USWNT to round out 2013 with November home game vs. Brazil in Orlando

The U.S. Women’s National Team will welcome Brazil stateside for their final game of 2013, and they will do so in a city with plenty of Brazilians.

The U.S. is set to host fourth-ranked Brazil in a friendly on Nov. 10 at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando. The game for the top-ranked Americans marks the first time they will play host to Brazil since a 1-0 victory in San Diego in 2008 in a match that saw Abby Wambach break her leg.

The U.S. and Brazil have played three times since that match back in 2009. They battled in the 2008 Olympic gold medal game in China, met in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany in 2011, and squared off in Japan during an international tournament in 2012.

“Over the last several years, there’s been an intense rivalry between the two countries and a series of games that have been very tightly contested, highly competitive and of course extremely dramatic,” said U.S. head coach Tom Sermanni in a statement released by U.S. Soccer. “It will be a fantastic game to finish the year off.”

U.S. Soccer announced the match on Tuesday morning, but the news had initially come out on Monday when Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer informed the public of the friendly during a City of Orlando board of commissioners meeting in which construction of a soccer-specific stadium for USL PRO club Orlando City was voted yes on.

Orlando City, who currently play at the Citrus Bowl, will be working closely with U.S. Soccer in support of the match.

“Orlando City SC is thrilled to help bring the U.S. Women’s National Team to Orlando,” said Orlando City President Phil Rawlins in the same statement. “Since our organization launched in 2011, our goal has been to grow the sport of soccer in Central Florida. Successfully hosting this match will be yet another step forward in Orlando City’s goal of being announced this year as the next Major League Soccer expansion club.”

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What do you think about the USWNT rounding out the year with Brazil? Think it will be a good test for the Americans? Would you have preferred to see them play someone else?

I hope that the fact that Brazil is travelling abroad means that their national federation is putting some money into their program. The more teams consistently playing at a high level the better for the sport (and the more glory for our gals when they take the cup!)